[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 13344]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  RECOGNIZING THE RUN TO HOME PROGRAM

  Mr. BROWN of Massachusetts. Mr. President, I rise today to 
highlight the groundbreaking work that some extraordinary citizens from 
Massachusetts are doing to help veterans of the wars in Iraq and 
Afghanistan. After a decade of conflict, tens of thousands of 
servicemen and women are returning home with invisible wounds. They and 
their families are struggling to cope with the effects of deployment-
related stress and traumatic brain injury. In New England alone, an 
estimated 50,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans experience invisible 
wounds related to combat, often requiring rigorous, individualized 
care.
  The Department of Veterans' Affairs plans to hire an additional 1,900 
mental health staffers across the country. This is a promising start, 
but the increasing demand for mental health services, delays in mental 
health treatment and appointments, and the growing divide between 
mental health specialists and veterans requires that we do more.
  Thankfully, in New England, concerned citizens are not standing on 
the sideline waiting for the VA to solve the problem. They are coming 
together around our veterans and their families right now to provide 
them with the support they need.
  The Run to Home Base Program offers our heroes and their families a 
place to turn. Developed through a collaborative effort of The Red Sox 
Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital, veterans have an 
opportunity to receive the compassionate support they deserve from 
trained mental health caregivers. The Run to Home Base Program is a 
perfect example of the kind of unique partnerships and innovative 
approaches that are sure to provide our newest generation of veterans 
with the world-class care that their selfless sacrifices deserve.
  I have been proud to participate for the past 2 years in the Run-Walk 
to Home Base at Fenway Park in Boston. This year's event in May raised 
over $7 million for the cause, a remarkable showing of support for our 
Nation's heroes. Imagine what could be done for other veterans and 
their families around our country if this inspiring model were to 
spread. We have an obligation to honor our veterans and their families 
through timely, predictable and effective care and compensation. Thanks 
to the Run to Home Program, many in New England are making a difference 
to better serve our veterans today.

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